Recent Gigs I've Seen

Once again i've gone a few months without writing on here.... whatever, it's never gonna change.
Here's some (very) short reviews of some shows i've seen recently;

October 17
Ruiner / In Bear Country / I.O.P. @ APC
I'm always happy when i get the email from Ruiner asking me to set up a show for them. I fuckin' love this band, they never disappoint on record or in a live setting. And this time was no different. Sporting 2 new members and promoting a new LP, Ruiner came to Vancouver on a cold and wet Saturday in October. The APC is a tiny little place that gets real warm real quick, which was apparent by the end of I.O.P.'s set. In Bear Country played 2nd, and this was their first Vancouver show (even though they are from here). IBC consist of some dudes from some older local bands, and sound like a cross between Small Brown Bike, Crime In Stereo and melodic hardcore. They were great, and i'm sure they will catch on worldwide once they release something. Ruiner cranked out a 14 song set, including a few requests from the crowd. The new songs sounded great. Can't wait for these guys to come back

October 27
Propagandhi / Rebel Spell @ the Rickshaw
I don't like being around this many people in a space that isn't flat & wide open. I become a grumpy old man. I caught some of the Rebel Spell's set. Whatever. They do their thing, and i guess you could say they do it well. But after a couple songs it all sounded the same. And their singer needs to have more personality on stage. Propagandhi.. a band i loved when they first came around, but who don't mean nearly the same to me anymore. The first LP, and the split 10" with I Spy, are great records. I guess Today's Empire is ok too. Hell, maybe all their records are amazing, but i just stopped paying attention. So alot of their set went right over my head and i found myself bored. Throughout their set i just kept thinking about how i wish Todd would quit this band and start playing in I Spy again. Fuck, they were a great band!!

November 5th
The Raveonettes / Mode Moderne @ Venue
Locals boys Mode Moderne opened up, showcasing songs from their recent self-released LP. There's no hiding the fact that these guys LOVE the Smiths and Joy Division. But they do the sound well, no fucking around. Headlining the show was the Raveonettes, who's recent LP has grown to be a favorite of mine over the past month. They were great, playing songs from all their releases, and really sounding like a cross between the Jesus and Mary Chain and Sonic Youth (at times). The "wall of sound/phil spector" comparisons that get thrown around would apply more to their records. The use of pre-recorded drums mixed with the live drummer who's kit was simply a floor tom, a snare drum and a cymbal really made me think of JAMC. The male & female vocals worked well together in the live setting. And who ever was in charge of the strobe lights had them timed perfectly to the guitar freakouts. An amazing show!

November 10th
Dinosaur Jr / Pink Mountaintops @ Commodore Ballroom
This was my 1st time seeing Pink Mountaintops, which is kinda odd since they're a local band and i work at the label that released 2 of their records in Canada. They were good, a bit more laid back and different than Steve McBean's other band Black Mountain. Was that Tolan McNeil on bass? I haven't seen him on stage with steve since the mid-90's when they played in Gus. Dinosaur Jr were loud! And because J Mascis has so many amps i would ask that he please buys an electric guitar tuner. No one wants to hear you try to tune when you've got 6 amps turned up to 10. I was happy to hear some songs from the 90's major label records throughout the set. As uncool as it might be to say, i actually like those records than the SST ones. So when they opened with Thumb i was pretty stoked. Same as when they played "Feel The Pain" and "The Wagon". Another surprise was closing the set with a cover of the Cure classic "Just Like Heaven". It's great to see a legendary band touring for a new record that is just as solid as their "classic" albums, the new songs sounded great alongside older numbers. Great show. My ears were ringing long after the fact even though i had ear plugs in the whole night.

November 15th
Teenage Bottlerocket / Cobra Skulls / The Tranzmitors / Isotopes @ the Red Room
The Isotopes opened the show with a set that was only 10minutes long, but filled with pop-punk songs like Ben Weasel would write. The Tranzmitors used their 30minutes to play a mix of older songs (Bigger House-Broken Homes, Glamor Girls, etc), new unreleased songs (Sunday Morning and a song about someone named Jimmy) and even a cover (Jesus and Mary Chain). These guys are my favorite local band, and in my opinion can do no wrong. I can't wait till some of these new songs come out on vinyl. Cobra Skulls were up next, and that's 40minutes of my life i'll never get back. These guys weren't good at all. Boring punk, with some ska bits thrown in here and there. Yawn. The best part of their set was when they finished and the sound guy played Metallica "Motor Breath". Now that's a good song!! Teenage Bottlerocket played last. I like listening to their records, and live they sounded pretty good, but all in all it wasn't anything spectacular. They do the Ramones/Screeching Weasle thing quite well, but after 25 minutes i felt bored, so i left and went to see Carpenter at the Railway.

November 15th
Carpenter @ the Railway
What are the chances that there would be 2 good shows happening on a sunday night in Vancouver? And the bands i mainly wanted to see at both venues were the locals. At the Railway i ended up missing In Bear Country since i was at the Red Room, but i made it just in time to see Carpenter. These guys have been on tour most of the year, and this show was the last show of a month long tour. This was also my first time seeing them without Ryan on 2nd guitar. I missed ryan's dancing and singing along, he always looks like he's having so much fun! But the new guy played well, and appeared to enjoy himself, just without the dancing. Carpenter sounded like band who's been on tour alot; tight. They played 2 new songs, one of which i had never heard before. Both sounded good, one of them gives off a Face to Face vibe. I hope they get into the studio soon.